Andre Norton
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The Hands of Lyr
by Andre Norton 
This is a "stand-alone" novel from an
author perhaps best known for her Witch World series of novels. The Hands of
Lyr is set in a desolate world trying to recover from ancient ravages caused
by dark, evil sorceries. Into the most desolate of these places comes a young
girl, Alnosha. Nosh is saved from certain death by a mysterious woman, who
raises her and teaches her many skills. During this time, it is found that Nosh
has a Talent. Her skillful hands are adept at finding gemstones, no matter how
well disguised they may be. Not only can Nosh discern the worth of such stones,
with some she is also able to determine good and evil sources, as well as their
history.
While Nosh is developing her new skills, another’s
life is abruptly changing. Kryn, House Heir of Qunion, secretly watches as his
family’s fortune and honor turn to dust at the hands of the leader of a new
religion. Outlawed for his refusal to meekly comply with the Temple’s wishes,
Kryn is forced to journey far from home, hoping for an opportunity to avenge his
family’s honor.
As with many of Norton’s books, the basic
concept is sword and sorcery. The tale of Nosh and Kryn is told in alternating
chapters. When Nosh’s Talent sets her on a mystical quest, Kryn becomes her
unwilling protector. Throughout their journey they are beset by evil foes, some
human, some supernatural. The groundwork for a battle between Good and Evil is
laid out but never fully develops. The major part of this tale revolves around
the events occurring on the journey and the changing relationship between Nosh
and Kryn. When the final confrontation does occur, it is over almost before it
begins.
Norton deftly describes a forbidding, strife-torn
world. The journey segment of the book is interesting and many of the secondary
characters met along the way are worth further development. Unfortunately, they
seem to only appear long enough to move the story along and then are quickly
dropped. I don’t believe this is one of Norton’s best efforts, but the story
did move quickly and had some entertaining moments.
Reviewed by: Diane
Andre Norton
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Mirror of Destiny
by Andre Norton 
By the King’s order, young Twilla is forced from
the only home she has ever known, to be sent across the mountains to a strange
new land as an unwilling bride. However, Twilla has been trained in the ancient
lore as a Healer, and carries among her meager possessions a mirror of uncertain
powers. Travelling in a caravan of other unlucky women, rumors of the ominous
fate that awaits them abound. Most frightening are stories of green demons of
the forest who strike down the unmarried men of the new land, rendering them
blind and witless. Twilla harbors hopes of avoiding an unwanted marriage by
proving her usefulness as a Healer, but such ideas are quickly dashed — at
first by the caravan guards and then later upon her arrival at the settlement by
the commander, Lord Harmond.
A series of unexpected and unpleasant events
throws Twilla together with Ylon, the outcast son of Lord Harmond. Ylon had been
captured by the green demons, but escaped. Found wandering witless and blind, he
eventually regained his sanity, but not his sight. Ylon rescues Twilla from an
evil plot and both are forced to flee for their lives. Their flight leads them
into the same forest that is home to the green demons and directly into the path
of the beautiful Lotis, the original captor of Ylon.
This encounter leads both Twilla and Ylon onto
several difficult and dangerous paths. Twilla searches for a way to free Ylon
from his blindness. In the process, she learns a great deal about her untested
powers and the truth about the forest people. Meanwhile, Ylon must fight the
enchantment which Lotis still wields over him and Lotis delves ever more deeply
into black, forbidden mysteries.
Norton has written an absorbing, well-developed
story this time around. She addresses man’s instinctive wariness of those who
are different, showing that there is often more than one interpretation of
another's actions. In addition to some interesting characters, there is a strong
nature conservation theme running through this novel. The story moves along
fairly quickly, reaching a satisfying finale that brings together all the
various plotlines and wraps them up neatly.
Reviewed by: Diane
Andre Norton
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Scent of Magic
by Andre Norton 
Scent of Magic
is yet another sword and sorcery novel from Andre Norton. In a dukedom decimated
by plague, the orphaned young Willadene was assigned to the care of a distant
cousin and compelled to become a scullery maid in the cousin’s second-rate
inn. As with many of Norton’s heroines, Willadene has a hidden talent — she
has the ability to analyze scents, a talent highly useful to the Herbmistress
Halwice. When Willadene runs away to escape a forced marriage to an unsavory
lout, she goes to the Herbmistress hoping to find an ally and a new position.
She finds both, but also is thrown into a vast intrigue extending to the highest
reaches of the land. Dark forces are at work and it quickly becomes apparent
that Willadene’s highly sensitive nose is useful for more than perfumes and
seasonings. She is able to scent magic, within both people and objects. Because
of this ability, Willadene’s destiny becomes entwined with the Duke’s
daughter, Mahart, and a highly placed spy known as the Bat.
Norton gives almost equal time to Mahart. The Duke’s
hold on the realm is none too firm. Finally of marriageable age, Mahart’s
usefulness as a pawn has been discovered. In the blink of an eye, she is thrown
from virtual seclusion into the intricacies of court life. Intelligent and
intuitive, Mahart soon realizes that there are devious undercurrents swirling
through the already turbulent court. Unseen enemies are quick to recognize
Mahart as a threat to well-laid plans. Their sinister response sends Willadene,
Mahart and the Bat on separate quests all leading to the same destination and a
final confrontation with an ancient Evil.
Scent of Magic
is one of Norton’s more recent works (1998). The novel is well written and
maintains a steady pace. The idea of having a "nose" for magic was
just offbeat enough to be interesting. Norton’s characters are likeable and
well defined, and there was enough action and intrigue to keep the pages
turning, although the final outcome was fairly evident by the later stages. I
still think Norton has a tendency to wrap things up too quickly at the end, but
the conclusion was satisfactory and in keeping with the rest of the novel.
Reviewed by: Diane
Andre Norton
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Wind in the Stone
by Andre Norton
Long ago, the forces of Light and Darkness struggled over the fate of
humanity. The Wind, a champion of the Light and filled with strong magic, was
able to defeat the minions of Darkness and banish them from the world. However,
as the centuries passed, the people of the Valley became complacent and forgot
how to listen to the messages brought by the Wind. Eventually, Darkness was able
to stage a comeback.
A warped student mage, Irasmus, is seduced by the lure of powers he can
barely understand. He seeks to enslave the people of the Valley and bring forth
evil horrors from other realms. As part of his plot, he has divided a family. He
forces a mother and her daughter to seek refuge in the Forest, last refuge of
the Wind and the wild magic it wields. Meanwhile, he holds the mother’s twin
son captive, training him as his apprentice. Irasmus will use the boy to attain
a secret, evil goal to further his hold over the people of the Valley.
After fleeing into the Forest, the young girl is raised by creatures of
ancient magic that dwell within the Forest. She hones a skill that her ancestors
had all but forgotten – the ability to hear the sounds of the Wind and the
world about her. It will be up to her, secretly aided by other champions of the
Light to discover Irasmus’ nefarious plots and derail them. But will she be
able to defeat Irasmus’ apprentice, her own brother, whose powers could be as
great as her own?
Norton has crafted a relatively short (280 page) story with her usual
precision. The prose is obviously carefully crafted. However, I found the
phrasing to be somewhat uneven which made for difficult reading at the
beginning. Fortunately, once I got used to the rhythm of the phraseology, the
book moved along smoothly.
The first half of the novel is mainly set-up for the remaining story (Irasmus
conquering the people of the Valley). I felt this part of the story moved rather
slowly. However, once the twins are born and forced apart, the plot picks up
speed and progresses towards an interesting conclusion. The character
development, while not deep, is sufficient for a novel of this length. I found
some of the peripheral characters (other champions of the Light) to be somewhat
annoying. I wanted them to lend more direct assistance to the main characters in
their fight against the Darkness. But despite my feelings, they preferred to
stay in the background and assist by providing information within dreams. Still,
overall, this is a pleasant, short novel that would provide a nice break in
between the 500 page novels of the latest trilogy you are reading.
Reviewed by: Alan
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